SBO again

ccfighter
ccfighter Member Posts: 476 Member
in Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine) #1

Spent Memorial weekend in the hospital.  Another small bowel obstruction.  I tried to handle it at home by going on a liquid diet but the pain got too intense and I started vomiting and couldn't stop.  By that point it was 1 am and I was too sick to drive myself to the hospital so had to call an ambulance.  They did an abdominal and pelvic ct and diagnosed the obstruction.  Then they admitted me.  I really don't like being in the hospital but by the time I got there I was in so much pain I didn't care.  I needed relief.  I still refused the ng tube.  Luckily, the obstruction cleared and I was able to go home on Memorial Day after 37 hours in the hospital.  The next few days my whole abdomen ached but now I feel fine.

 

ladies, this is starting to scare me.  I get the pains every  1-3 months, though they usually resolve on their own after several hours.  But when they don't and it continues to escalate it is one of the most painful things I have ever experienced.  The surgeon at the hospital told me that I will be dealing with this the rest of my life, that the obstructions are caused from adhesions, and that trying to remove the adhesions will just cause more adhesions.  Ahhhhh!  What!  He said 80% of the time they just resolve with gut rest, and 20% of the time emergency surgery is required.  I don't want to end up with a perforation or strangulation and sepsis.  I would also prefer to have a scheduled surgery rather than let it come to an emergency situation.

 

i will see my oncologist soon but last she told me was about the same as the surgeon at the hospital.  Surgery causes adhesions.  Anybody else have any experience with this?  Any suggestions?

 

i hope all you ladies are doing well and enjoying the spring and summer.  Hugs to you all.

Comments

  • NoTimeForCancer
    NoTimeForCancer Member Posts: 3,506 Member
    #2
    ccfighter, I am so sorry to

    ccfighter, I am so sorry to hear this.  Of course it would be frightening!!  People don't realize the side effects surgery and treatment bring.  I can't offer any help but hopefully someone will be able to chime in with help.

    HUGS

  • kansasgal
    kansasgal Member Posts: 122 Member
    #3
    SBO

    Following a successful ileostomy surgery in late September 2014 for a bowel resection (and a successful ileostomy reversal in December!), I experienced a SBO before I was released from the hospital. Never in my life had I been in so much pain and felt such nausea. After sitting up in bed all night with a sort of dishpan in my lap, I finally vomited and vomited - probably everything I had swallowed since surgery. The nausea improved but the terrible pain persisted for many more hours. It took more than 24 hours in total for the SBO to clear up on its own while I ate and drank nothing and was on an IV. I was kept in the hospital until the doctor was sure that the obstruction had resolved and I was able to eat regular food for 24 hours without further complications.

    I have had diverticular disease for many years. A bad bout of diverticulitis landed me in the hospital several years ago. The treatment was nothing by mouth and some IV medications. Since then I have treated bouts at home like you do for your ongoing SBOs. I just drink sips of sugar water or sugared tea for several days and I eat nothing until the pain clears up.

    I follow this board because I was diagnosed and treated for UPSC in 2009. Stage 1. I had 6 rounds ofCarbo/Taxol and 3 round of brachytherapy following my open incision TAH/BSO. I remain NED and was released by my gyn/onc last year. She did observe during my open abdomen bowel resection surgery to see if she saw anything suspicious in terms of cancer. She saw nothing.

    Hugs to all, but a SUPER BIG HUG to you, cc!

    Sally

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